It is well known that providing an interactive toy for an animal provides many benefits. For dogs, providing a toy that can be chewed over a long period of time provides necessary mastication, and may also provide dental cleaning. For dogs that may experience separation anxiety, providing a toy that can keep the dogs occupied for a long period of time is therapeutic thereby reducing destructive behaviors. Extended periods of play with a toy also increase the activity level of the animal, resulting in beneficial exercise for the animal.
In recent years, the concept of providing a pet toy with integral treats resulted in the development of a number of pet toys with treats that are frictionally held within the toy, or that may be dispensed from the toy by movement of the toy.
One example of a reference disclosing a pet toy with treats includes U.S. Pat. No. 7,555,997. This reference describes an exterior feature for holding treats by a peripheral lip that surrounds and overlaps a corresponding peripheral edge of a first treat, and an interior open space that may be used to hold additional treats. The first treat blocks access to the interior open space.
Another reference disclosing a pet toy with treats is the U.S. Pat. No. 7,500,450. This reference teaches a toy with a hollow interior, a first edible treat that blocks access to the interior, and a second edible treat that interlocks with the first edible treat, the second edible treat extending into the interior of the toy. Additional treats may be placed within the hollow interior.
Yet another reference disclosing pet toys with treats is the U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,830. This reference describes a toy with a trapper cavity or slot to receive a treat. An adjacent bias cavity forms a bias member between the trapper cavity and aperture. Opposing walls of the trapper cavity clamp against surfaces of the treat inserted through the cavity.
Yet another reference in the field of pet toys with integral treats is the U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,877. This reference discloses a pet toy with a longitudinal panel, and first and second lips formed along opposite respective edges of the panel. The edges are folded over to form overlapping areas that serve as receptacles to receive treats.
Yet another reference that discloses a pet toy incorporating treats is the U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,053. This reference teaches a pet toy having an outer surface with one or more recesses for holding treats. The recesses may be of varying depths and shapes to receive different types of treats. Some of the recesses may extend completely through the sidewall of the toy.
One primary goal for these types of pet toys is to encourage an animal's extended interaction with the toy. However, in practice, many of these toys have limitations that do not result in extended interaction. One common drawback of many of these toys is that the toy is constructed in a manner that makes it overly difficult for the animal to access the treats; accordingly, the animal becomes frustrated and loses interest in the toy. Conversely, there are other toys that are constructed in which the treats are too easily accessed, and therefore the animal quickly loses interest in the toy because the treats are quickly consumed. Another drawback of many of the toys is that they may not be made of sufficient quality, and therefore the toy becomes destroyed in a short period of time by the biting and chewing action of the animal. For some of these toys, the animal may ingest pieces of the toy thereby creating a significant health risk for the animal.
One can appreciate from the foregoing that providing a pet toy with treats to sustain an extended interaction with an animal requires a special construction, not only for the toy itself, but also in the manner in which the treat(s) are retained in the toy and dispensed or removed from the toy.